Welcome to our guide to all of the family-friendly, fun, and festive events happening on the First Coast this holiday season. Your one-stop spot for all of the best tree lighting ceremonies, Santa visits, gingerbread house-making events, Christmas light displays, boat parades, and holiday shows. Be sure to check back throughout the season for updated holiday events.
Holiday Activities for Families in Jacksonville
Where to See Santa
Check out our list of Santa events! From Breakfast with Santo to Storytime tea!
Tree Lightings and Holiday Light Displays
Starting early in November and up until Christmas, there’s sure to be a tree lighting event to amaze the whole family.
Holiday Shopping In & Around Jacksonville
We are so lucky that Jacksonville offers so many amazing shopping events during the holiday season!
Family-Friendly Holiday Events in Jacksonville
Get ready to make some holiday-inspired crafts, celebrate with Santa, and check out some amazing gingerbread houses!
Cruising for Christmas Lights
Pack the family n the car and drive around Jacksonville to hit the best-lighted homes and neighborhoods!
Holiday Shows In & Around Jacksonville
We have an incredible list of holiday shows, including several Nutcracker options and theatre in Jacksonville!
Holiday Parades In & Around Jacksonville
Jacksonville and the surrounding areas not only have a variety of parades, but also boat parades!
Tree Farms In and Around Jax
It may be surprising, but even here in Florida, there are farms where you can not only get your very own Christmas tree but cut it down yourself, too!
More on the Holidays in Jacksonville
Let us help you make this holiday season the merriest yet with our exclusive access to all of Jacksonville’s best Christmas and holiday events. Check out the First Coast’s best Christmas lights displays, tree lightings and all the best places to go see Santa. Plus, if you need childcare over the holiday break, we’ve created a guide to the best winter break camps in Jacksonville.
Upcoming Holiday Events
Holiday Lightings
Family-Friendly Events
Memo to Magic-Makers: Keep Santa Simple
As I watched my 2.5-year-old lay on the cold, trampled floor of the mall, swarmed by other holiday merrymakers, teetering inch-by-inch toward the entrance to a Santa experience the local news had...
You’ll Put An Eye Out, Kid
“You’ll shoot your eye out, kid!” In A Christmas Story, most of the adults knew that a Red Ryder BB Gun was going to put Ralphie in danger. His dad bought him one anyway, and while his glasses...
Why I Don’t Feel Pressure to Buy My Kid Christmas Gifts
Okay, please hear me out on this before you report me to the North Pole. Let me first start off by saying that my kid is in no way deprived of material things. He is my only child who is regularly...
ShopJax: A Locally Sourced Holiday Gift Guide
Calling all busy moms and families! Ready or not the holidays are here and the Jacksonville Mom elves are ready to help. Let the stress go, gift-giving should be fun, and we’re making it easy for...
All the Christmas Cheer at Disney World
‘Tis the season to be doing all the things, going all the places, and buying all the gifts. But what if you want a bit of time to relax and enjoy some sights and sounds? Take a trip down to...
The Scariest Holiday Story
Halloween is the start of my favorite season. The cool crisp breeze causes the red and orange leaves to dance in the wind. Lights and blowup yard decor go up. Neighborhoods come together to...
A Holiday Tradition I ‘Gift’ Myself
I promise myself every year that I won’t procrastinate on “all the holiday stuff” next year — the decorating, baking, cooking, gift buying, wrapping, etc. Don’t even get me started on sending family...
The Magic in My Family’s Secret Santa Tradition
When I was in elementary school, my family started our Secret Santa tradition. It was my mom’s idea because she wanted to facilitate the spirit of giving in my sister and me and didn’t want us...
Hot Cocoa Bombs You Can Make In Under 30 minutes
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and Hot Cocoa Bombs are everywhere I scroll. My social media feed is full of these little delights bursting with marshmallow goodness inside cozy...
Giving the Gift of Baked Goods During COVID-19
It’s a long-standing tradition in my house that the last week before Christmas is spent making somewhere around a million shortbread cookies. My dad expects at least half a million for his Christmas...
Add Your Holiday Event to Our Calendar
Are you a local business in the Jacksonville area? Do you have a holiday event you want to add to our calendar? Follow the link to submit your event.
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Please consider adding Mandarin’s Christmas tree lighting to the list!
Are you ready to make Mandarin more merry this Friday evening? 🎄
Join us as we “Light Up Mandarin” at the Historic Mandarin Community Club, where our Community’s Official Christmas Tree will be illuminated with over 2,000 lights – topped with our signature Mandarin Orange. 🍊
Mandarinites can enjoy food and hot chocolate, musical performances, and a visit from Santa 🎅🏼
Our club table will be open! Please stop by and grab some Mandarin holiday gifts for you or your loved one. While your there, you can support our Luminary Kit fundraiser so your neighborhood can Light Up Mandarin, too! 🕯Oh, and did we mention we are always welcoming new members to join this nearly 100-year-old institution? Grab a membership form while you’re there! 🍊
See the article here:
https://www.floridanewsline.com/mandarin/mandarin-community-club-tree-lighting-kicks-off-the-holiday-season/
#christmas2021 #treelighting #mandarin